Identify your goals and constraints

Before talking to vendors, identify goals and potential constraints - this will serve as a guide as you decide which vendor is most appropriately suited for you.

Here are some questions to consider

• Current systems: Which systems do you currently use - EMR, State IIS, Scheduling, Billing insurance?

• Gaps: Do your current systems support the eight key areas of the vaccine rollout detailed earlier, or do you need to integrate additional functionality (e.g., a scheduler or a way to pre-register and upload necessary documents)?

• Resources: What’s your budget? What skills/resources do you currently have? What additional technology support will you need?

• Timeline: What’s the lead time needed for vendor procurement? What’s your vaccination timeline for all your residents, and timeline for residents in tiered phases?

• Size & scale: How many vaccines do you expect to administer per day within each phase? How many vaccination sites do you expect to run within each phase? Do you prefer spinning up more sites as you go, or have a steady number of sites? What’s the setup of the sites: outside vs. inside, drive through vs. walk up vs. both?

• Data ethics: Be explicit in asking what potential vendors are doing with your residents' data and how they truly handle privacy concerns. Platforms that collect and sell consumer (resident) data should be a dealbreaker.

• Accessibility: Any tech tool needs to be part of a holistic response that accommodates all residents, who span different levels of languages, Internet access, device access? What language accommodations are you planning for in your area? How will you communicate information and actions to the residents with no Internet access at home or work, who are already disproportionately affected by COVID-19?

• Additional risks: What vaccination and resourcing risks, unique to your jurisdiction, should you scenario plan for?